08/13, 8:09am

Next iPhone motherboard possibly spotted

A purported next-gen iPhone motherboard has surfaced thanks to a WeiPhone forums user. The part appears to be from a prototype device, if it is indeed from the next iPhone, as it does not carry the usual labeling one would expect to see. Also unseen is the processor that Apple might use in the device, at this stage expected to be a lower power 32nm variant of the A5X utilized in the third-generation iPad.

05/04, 7:23am

iPad 2 shifts 32nm process for A5 processor

Apple’s cut-price iPad 2, which it continues to sell alongside its new iPad, has been given a boost with a shift to a new 32nm A5 processor from the original 45nm iteration. Although using fundamentally the same architecture, the die-shrunk version has been shown by Anandtech to draw less power offering significant improvements in battery life. The latest iPad 2’s carrying the updated dual-core processor are designated by the model number ‘iPad 2,4’ and utilize Samsung’s 32nm high-k + metal gate LP transistors, which helps to explain the performance differential.

04/11, 4:15pm

Apple TV's new A5 chip built on Samsung 32nm

The latest 1080p-capable Apple TV uses an A5 processor but it is based on 32nm architecture, the Chipworks crew found when they dissected the media player. The part number, APL2498, thus mainly differs from the previous-generation A5 chip (part number APL0498) used in the iPhone 4S by being based on Samsung Semiconductors' 32nm high-k metal gate LP CMOS process technology. The older chip used Samsung's 45nm LP CMOS process.

03/18, 1:20pm

Apple TV 2012 gets speed upgrade

In a rare first ahead of more official outlets, XBMC forum member aicjofs has posted a teardown of the newer 1080p-capable Apple TV that shows a number of changes. As suspected, it has upgraded from an A4 to an A5, although it's now using a slight variant on the iPad 2/iPhone 4S version with an APL2498 part number. Apple's media hub now has 512MB of RAM as well, which along with a second core should improve performance across the device, not just in the higher resolution video.

03/02, 2:45pm

Apple tries to tout job benefit to US

Apple has reacted to concerns that it was offshoring too many jobs with a new Job Creation promo page on Friday. The iPhone maker contended that a total of 514,000 jobs were either directly created by Apple or depended heavily on it for support. While only 47,000 were core Apple employees, many of them retail, it believed 257,000 in various industries had jobs that depended significantly on Apple and another 210,000 in the iOS "app economy."

02/17, 4:30pm

AMD exec to kickstart Qualcomm Adreno graphics

AMD's recently departed graphics CTO Eric Demers is now thought to have jumped ship for Qualcomm. An insider connection talking to The Inquirer said the graphics expert had made the hop "under good terms," but partly in the view that Qualcomm wasn't seen as a direct competitor. Intel and NVIDIA may have tried to poach him in the past.

02/12, 1:25pm

Apple TV update may join iPad 3 on stage

An upgraded Apple TV media hub might come sooner than thought after signs emerged that multiple stores ran low on stock. Amazon, Best Buy, Buy.com, Radio Shack, and Target all show the device either as out of stock or taking weeks to ship. Apple and others do have supply, but it follows a pattern of third-party resellers usually running out first.

02/06, 3:10pm

EarSmart built directly into A5 processor

Siri's exclusivity to the iPhone 4S may be connected to the use of Audience's EarSmart noise cancellation technology, suggests Linley Group analyst Linley Gwennap. While teardowns have shown the presence of a dedicated Audience chip in the iPhone 4, Gwennap points to a January S-1 filing, indicating that EarSmart is built directly into the 4S' A5 processor. "Even after accounting for the dual Cortex-A9 CPUs and the large GPU that provides the A5 with industry-leading 3D graphics performance, the remaining die area seems too large for the usual mundane housekeeping logic," the analyst explains. "To reduce system cost and eliminate the extra package required for the Audience chip, Apple cut a deal to integrate the noise-reduction technology directly into its A5 processor, which appears in the iPhone 4S."

01/20, 1:05pm

Absinthe ready to go

(Update: Windows too) The promised iPhone 4S and iPad 2 untethered jailbreak has been posted as of Friday. Absinthe lets Mac users crack iOS 5 on the modern Apple hardware to run Cydia as well as other unsigned apps. Demand is such that the main host, greenpois0n, is currently having trouble; Chronic Dev Team contributor Josh Hill warned that the jailbreak might not run at first, since it's dependent on reaching the greenpois0n site.

01/16, 4:50pm

Samsung Austin factory needs 1b bond

Samsung disclosed Monday that its new Austin plant might require that it sell $1 billion in debt for funding. It expects to sell a five-year bond and has been talking to banks to help orchestrate the deal. The arrangement would be its first significant sale of the kind in over a decade.

12/16, 2:25am

Samsung uses lone US plant for iPhone and iPad

Samsung's $3.6 billion Austin plant may be dedicated almost exclusively to making Apple's A5 processors. Sources asserted Friday in conversation with Reuters that the 1.6 million square foot facility began supplying the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S with its main chip earlier in the year. Full production only just kicked in as of this month, the contacts said.

11/19, 1:05pm

Galaxy Nexus 1st Android to beat iPhone 4S in web

Early benchmarks of the Galaxy Nexus have shown it to be the first Android phone that can outperform an iPhone 4S on the web. The AnandTech tests show that Google's late addition of dual-core processor support gave the phone the edge over Apple both in the SunSpider JavaScript test and Rightware's BrowserMark. The only other Android device to get close, the Droid RAZR, slightly won in one test but lost in another.

10/19, 8:00pm

iSuppli teardown shows same price despite 3G swap

A new cost breakdown by IHS iSuppli has given more definitive raw parts costs for the iPhone 4S. A 16GB version of the phone is estimated to cost about $188, or within 50 cents of last year's model when it was new. The switch from an Infineon (now part of Intel) chip to the dual-mode Qualcomm chip had little impact on the cellular chipset, which in total cost about $14 to $15.

10/13, 12:15pm

iPhone 4S uses newer dual-mode chip

(Update: RAM confirmation) A still-ongoing teardown of the iPhone 4S has shown that the internal upgrades come from more than just the A5 processor. The now officially dual-mode phone is using a Qualcomm MDM6610, a slight upgrade from the MDM6600 seen in the iPhone 4 just eight months ago. What Qualcomm has done, if anything, with the new model isn't known, but both the old and new chipsets can handle the 14.4Mbps HSPA 3G on carriers like AT&T as well as EVDO Revision A on CDMA networks like Sprint's or Verizon's.

10/09, 12:20pm

Apple said with 1,000 CPU engineers

Apple has over 1,000 engineers working on its mobile processors, the late Steve Jobs purportedly mentioned a few weeks ago. An unnamed but "veteran" CEO said shortly after Jobs' resignation that the iconic Apple CEO had told him there were "1,000 engineers working on chips." With 20,000 workers in Apple's non-retail staff, TechCrunch noted in getting the leak, that amounted to five percent of the entire company.

10/07, 12:55am

New 720p resolution, party play mode, more

Game developer Firemint has released a new update (version 1.12) to its fast-paced racing iOS games, Real Racing 2 and Real Racing 2 HD for iPad, to fully exploit the A5 processor found in the iPad 2 and forthcoming iPhone 4S. The update brings significant upgrades to graphics quality, a split-screen local multiplayer mode over AirPlay for up to four players, real-time racing telemetry using dual screens for the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S, 720p AirPlay resolution and more.

10/04, 10:40pm

UBM estimates iPhone 4S costs on unveil

UBM Techinsights gave a preliminary cost breakdown of the iPhone 4S. Based on past history and estimates, it reckoned Apple's new phone would cost $203 in pure components for a 32GB version. The most expensive component would be the flash memory itself, at $38, followed by the 640x960 display ($31) and the dual-core A5 chip ($26).

10/04, 5:15pm

iPhone 4S claims minor edges over Galaxy S II

Apple with the iPhone 4S launch finally put out its answer to the Galaxy S II. Some might say it's catching up: both have dual-core processors, eight-megapixel cameras, and 1080p video. But Apple isn't necessarily just bringing itself up to par; we'll see in a quick breakdown where the 4S might be pulling ahead as well as where it has room to grow.

09/19, 6:15pm

iPhone test mules show up in extra photos

A follow-up snapshot has shown a different iPhone prototype to the one showing its A5 chip as well as shed light on the possible age of the examples. The new image, purported to be of an "iPhone 4S," shows a device with the old, pre-release white iPhone 4 case and parts that are claimed to be for the iPhone 5. Despite MacPost clams, though, it appears to be of a different generation as it has visibly different battery markings and, as it's inverted, makes it impossible to gauge if it's an A5 or an A4 chip.

09/19, 8:50am

iPhone 5 part identifies A5 by name as tests go up

A post on China's Weibo has shown a reputed iPhone 5 mainboard that, for the first time, shows its use of the A5 processor. It resembles an earlier parts leak and is distinct in looks both from the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 mainboards, ruling out the A4 or the tablet implementation of the A5. The shot also appears to show a 1,430mAh battery, up very slightly from the 1,420mAh lithium-ion pack in the iPhone 4.

09/15, 8:30pm

iPhone 5 impending launch, design corroborated

Case-Mate's iPhone 5 case posting was corroborated by sources from within Apple on Thursday. Stating that the launch was just "weeks away," staffers gave descriptions of the new iPhone's look that reportedly lined up with the larger, tapered, aluminum look. An engineer told the NYT that the design would be "fairly different" than the iPhone 4, inside and out.

08/19, 10:35am

ATT exec hints very busy iPhone 5 October intro

A quick report Friday claims that AT&T has all but verified the October iPhone 5 release. An unnamed AT&T vice president supposedly explained to staffers that Apple would launch in "early October," BGR said. Managers were told business would get "really, really" busy within 35 to 50 days.

08/19, 10:00am

HP said to have tested webOS on iPad 2X faster

HP supposedly had a much better time running webOS on the iPad 2 than its own TouchPad, an internal source rumored Friday. Although both have dual-core processors, Apple's tablet was reportedly "over twice as fast" and frustrated the team. The 1.2GHz Snapdragon limited what HP's team could do, and they were effectively saddled with a "two-year old piece of hardware" in the TouchPad where Apple had something cutting edge, The Next Web understood.

08/13, 12:25am

iPhone 5 still pegged for October

An unusually vociferous response Friday insisted that the iPhone 5 would ship in October. Digging back to "several sources" led to being told that Apple's latest would miss September. The AllThingsD clue lacked a specific unveiling date, but earlier claims it wouldn't be September 7 were purportedly accurate.

07/22, 9:45am

Analyst checks point to white iPod touch 5

(Updated with alleged white iPod touch photo) New estimates by Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggest Apple will bring white back to the iPod for the first time in years through the fifth-generation iPod touch. The design is rumored to be much like that of the iPad 2, where only the front gets the new color. Kuo told AppleInsider the design showed few signs of direct changes and would be in volume production in late August.

07/15, 7:40am

TSMC being gauged on A6 chip production levels

One source leaked overnight that Apple was at least experimenting with plans to make the A6 through TSMC. The Taiwanese contractor is said in practice runs that would gauge whether or not its manufacturing yields of working chips were enough that it could be trusted production. All the "authorisation and details" were ready and were just hinging on Apple's reaction, Reuters was told.

07/07, 7:50am

iPhone 6 charging plans teased in updated rumor

An update to an earlier iPhone 5 leak has given what could be even more ambitious plans for the sixth-generation model. Experiments for the 2012 version of the phone would have it use a "new way" to charge the phone. The WSJ source didn't say what it would entail, but it would most likely be inductive, wireless charging akin to HP's webOS devices.

07/06, 8:55am

iPhone 5 may be set back by manufacturing process

New hints have emerged that the next iPhone has a genuinely new design but may also be facing complications as a result. Suppliers said Wednesday that the new phone is "thinner and lighter" even as it carries a new eight-megapixel camera. As a result, though, the WSJ heard Foxconn (Hon Hai's manufacturing) may have to delay shipments as the new iPhone is "complicated and difficult to assemble" and might create yield problems.

06/22, 7:40am

iPhone 5 locked for Sept, followed by iPad 3

A fresh round of leaks early Wednesday supported Apple's plans for the next iPhone but also had unusual details about a future iPad. The tips had the new iPhone in September with the expected dual-core A5 chip and eight-megapixel camera. As expected, Bloomberg understood it was meant to coincide with iOS 5, although they saw it as a more conservative iPhone 4-like design than the major remake suggested by some.

05/29, 11:30pm

NVIDIA Kal-El gets early video demo

NVIDIA in another phase of its Computex show rollouts gave the first real demo of its quad-core Kal-El chip (below). A graphics and physics demo, Glowball, showed the future Tegra as the first smartphone-class chip of doing true dynamic lighting while still keeping a smooth frame rate, even with advanced physics for cloth and obstacles. Kal-El is the first mobile chip that can do this at a reasonable speed, NVIDIA said, and dropping to just two cores showed a dramatic slowdown.

05/27, 8:30pm

Even if true, could be just an experiment

Even as Apple is preparing to update the MacBook Air models sometime later this year (possible as early as next month), a Japanese blog has claimed that the company is testing a version of the ultraportable that uses an Apple-designed A5 chip rather than the Intel Core 2 Duo found on current models, PC World reports. The claim could be false -- the report itself says that even if true, it likely to be simply an experiment rather than a planned product.

04/25, 2:05pm

iPhone with larger screen surfaces in photos

An admittedly uncertain but atypical set of photos Monday have given possible support to the idea of an iPhone with a larger screen. Two shots show a design with the same overall dimensions as the iPhone 4 but with a screen running much closer to the edge. One shot put the new front panel side by side with the originally planned white panel and helped MIC Gadget notice that it was using the new proximity sensor spotted on shipping white iPhone 4 units.

04/21, 3:25pm

Speed may be major focus of iPhone 5

Apple has been providing A5-equipped iPhones to app developers in preparation for the iPhone 5, says a source for 9to5Mac. The units are described as essentially identical to the iPhone 4, indistinguishable except when in use. One nickname for the hardware is "iPhone 4S," although in reality the phones are just said to use regular Apple prototype names.

04/21, 10:15am

Verizon accidentally confirms iPhone 5 dual-mode

Verizon during the conference call discussing its latest quarterly results inadvertently spoiled plans to launch a dual-mode iPhone 5. The company mentioned that its next Apple product would be a "global device," or one capable of using both Verizon's CDMA network and GSM networks while roaming abroad. Current iPhone 4s on the network are CDMA-only.

04/11, 1:10pm

Analyst thinks iPhone 5 to be built in September

Avian Securities in a research note on Monday claimed that the still-rumored decision to move the iPhone 5 past WWDC could see production start even later than thought. A conversation with a key part supplier convinced the research group that the new model would only be in production from September. Since Apple usually needs time to build up supply, this could mean a launch only in "very late" 2011 or even in early 2012.

04/01, 6:05pm

RBS believes A5 may be large to beat Tegra video

The iPad 2's speed edge over the Xoom may have come from inherent freedoms for Apple in designing the A5 chip over NVIDIA's Tegra 2, RBS analyst Didier Scemama said. He pointed out that NVIDIA by necessity had to design the Tegra 2 to its customers' price, which he estimated at $15 to $20. Apple wasn't hindered by having to please someone else and could pay Samsung $25 per chip for the A5 if it meant getting the fastest chip possible.

03/17, 9:35am

Blaze says Android faster on web than iPhone

(Update: doubts surface) A new study by Blaze has suggested that Android in ideal conditions can easily outperform an iPhone 4 on the web. A Google Nexus S running Android 2.3 is about 52 percent faster on average than an iPhone 4, even with the iOS 4.3 speed boost in effect. In the real world, the Nexus S would outrun the iPhone 4 on Fortune 1000 company websites 84 percent of the time, the Ottawa-based firm said.

03/13, 10:00pm

iSuppli and UBM estimate iPad 2 at 326 tops

Analysts have provided somewhat conflicting cost breakdowns for the iPad 2 that nonetheless both put the Motorola Xoom in a poor light. iSuppli said Apple's tablet should cost $323.35 in raw parts for a 32GB, Verizon (EVDO) version or $326.60 for its AT&T (HSPA) equivalent. The HSPA version needs chipsets with Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi separate from the Intel/Infineon cellular chip where the EVDO version uses an all-in-one Qualcomm chipset, much like in the Verizon iPhone.

03/12, 10:25pm

iPad 2 benched against Xoom

Early, detailed benchmarks of the iPad 2's performance have provided a surprise win by Apple over the Motorola Xoom. Despite NVIDIA's reputation for fast graphics, AnandTech found the PowerVR SGX543MP2 in the iPad 2 was in some cases several times faster in Imagination Technologies' GLBenchmark 2.0 than the Xoom's Tegra 2 chip. While the Xoom has to drive a higher 1280x800 resolution, the difference wouldn't have been enough to claim the edge.

03/09, 5:30pm

iOS 4.3 shows iPhone 5 using same A5 as iPad 2

An early look at the publicly released iOS 4.3 update has confirmed that the iPhone 5 will be getting the same A5 chip as in the iPad 2. Both the tablet and the future iPhone, codenamed the N94AP, are listed as using the same S5L8940 processor. They don't confirm the clock speed, but Apple ran a slightly underclocked version of the A4 in the iPhone 4.

03/03, 2:25pm

iPad 2 4X faster in SunSpider web tests

Early tests of the iPad 2's web performance have suggested a major lift in speed over the original. The combination of iOS 4.3's Nitro engine in Safari with the dual-core A5 gave the newer tablet a SunSpider JavaScript completion time of 2121.7ms, or just over four times faster than the original iPad's 8594.9ms. SlashGear's benchmarks showd it excelling the most in a 3D raytracing test, scoring over five times faster, but also better than the average in access and cryptography tests.